Civil engineering transfer student reflects on the importance of mentorship and representation

Rania Gomaa-Mersal was fascinated by bridges at a young age, but her struggles with chemistry and calculus in high school prompted her to initially rule out pursuing a college degree in engineering.

Growing up in Torrance, California, Gomaa-Mersal gravitated toward science and math in middle school, where a career-finder quiz pointed to civil engineering. But as coursework became more challenging, engineering began to feel less attainable. In the summer before high school, she attended Tech Trek, a camp for youth interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"The camp itself was an amazing experience and exposed me to so many fun new experiences, but I struggled with some of the math and engineering concepts we learned," she said. "That was the final nail in the coffin for me."

Her outlook changed after she enrolled in El Camino College, a public community college close to home. There, Gomaa-Mersal began succeeding in courses that had previously discouraged her. The experience helped rebuild her confidence and rekindled her love for infrastructure and the desire to reconsider civil engineering as a viable path.

Gomaa-Mersal wanted to continue her education at a school with a strong engineering program while staying close to home, so transferring to UCLA became a clear goal. UCLA's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), which was not available at her community college, was a decisive factor, as was the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity.

"I knew that I would have a community of other engineering students from a similar background to mine," said the now second-year civil engineering student at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.

To quickly assimilate into her new academic home, Gomaa-Mersal lived on campus the first year in the UCLA Transfer Living Learning Community, where she instantly connected with other transfer students. Outside the classroom, she immersed herself in student organizations that aligned with her academic interests and her commitment to representation. Among them, NSBE has been central to her UCLA experience.

"Organizations like NSBE give students a sense of community and the motivation to pursue careers in engineering and STEM," she said. "They provide us with representation of Black engineers and scientists who paved the way for future generations as we work to do the same for those younger than us."

With her own experience struggling in secondary school, it is also important to Gomaa-Mersal that she helps introduce younger students to STEM through outreach and mentorship. As co-chair for pre-college initiatives on the NSBE board, she is responsible for K-12 outreach efforts. Last quarter, she coordinated an on-site STEM program at Virgil Middle School, where she and other NSBE members guided nearly 40 students through a spaghetti cantilever activity designed to introduce engineering concepts.

She also joined the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) at UCLA. As part of the surveying team, she learned hands-on techniques used by professional surveyors and got an opportunity to compete at the 2025 Pacific Southwest ASCE Student Symposium - an experience she said reinforced her interest in applied civil engineering work.

"These experiences have shaped my confidence as an engineering student because they've taught me that I'm capable of doing much more than just being a student," she said.

Gomaa-Mersal's commitment to representation and public impact extends beyond campus and into her professional work. As a civil engineering intern in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works' Waterworks Division, Gomaa-Mersal conducts plan checks, reviewing engineering drawings for compliance with county waterworks standards. The role allows her to apply classroom concepts to real-world projects, particularly material from her hydrology coursework.

Looking ahead, Gomaa-Mersal says she hopes to work at a public agency as a civil or environmental engineer. She is also interested in teaching as a way of combining technical work and mentorship. She credits a former internship supervisor, who took Gomaa-Mersal under her wing and continues to offer advice, as a role model for the kind of engineer she wants to become.

For other transfer students considering engineering, Gomaa-Mersal emphasizes the importance of community.

"Seek support in the communities available to you," she said, pointing to campus resource centers and organizations such as CEED, NSBE and ASCE. "Don't be afraid to ask for help and reach out to other students studying engineering to ask for advice if you need it."